The Lure of Lavender

It’s literally raining purple with a range of lavender-infused desserts and goodies at restaurants and patisseries across the country that pay homage to the delicately perfumed flower and its gorgeously vibrant hue!

By Raul Dias

Is it a flower? Is it a herb? While there is enough conjecture about the botanical underpinnings of lavender, one thing is for certain, this season, it has crept into a host of desserts and goodies at restaurant and patisseries across the country. Places that are celebrating the purple-hued flower (we’ll just leave it at that!) in myriad ways. And why not? Being particularly compatible with the dessert-friendly flavours of honey and lemon, lavender is a perfect springtime flower to brighten up—not just a table—but also what’s served atop one!
Here’s a list of a few such preparations that are imbued with that heady dose of the flower’s power:     

Lavender and Blueberry Viennese Shortbread with Rose Petal Panna Cotta at Estella, Mumbai
This rather delicate confection is an intricate construction of two lavender-flavoured shortbread fingers sandwiching whipped cream and blueberry jam, and topped with more cream and jam, with a sprig of lavender and rosemary as the garnish. Accompanying this, is a wobbly panna cotta that does a jig, not just on the platter, but on your palate as well.   

Lavender Panna Cotta at Latest Recipe, Le Meridien Gurgaon, NCR
In this iteration, the actual panna cotta—that simply translates from Italian into English as “baked milk”—is the creation of the hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef Anil Kumar, who was inspired by the refreshing and delicate lavender flavour. The fact that this flavour has to be used just in the right amount for its effect to show up and can only be infused with cream, got him excited to try it in this panna cotta. And what a sublime creation that turned out to be!

Lavender Macarons at Cocoatease, Mumbai
Riding high on the crest of the macaron wave are these crispy, chewy, French macarons filled with a lavender-infused Swiss meringue buttercream. According to Manju Hemrajani, Co-owner, Cocoatease, people in India are slowly and steadily getting accustomed to and have started understanding the subtlety of flavours, because lavender is an acquired taste and needs to be used with caution. If used in excess, it makes the product taste bitter and pretty much inedible. But there’s no fear of that happening in the case of these delectable morsels of heaven! 

Lavender and Bitter Chocolate Bon Bon at The Oberoi Patisserie & Delicatessen, The Oberoi Gurgaon, NCR
Chef Gagan Rahi, Sous Chef (pastry) has used luxurious Valrhona chocolate and lavender flowers to create these chocolate bon bons. The bitter sweetness of the lavender flowers lends a sweet pungent after-taste to the chocolate and pairs beautifully with the intense chocolate-y notes for a well-balanced pairing.

Almond and Lavender Latte with Lavender and Lemon Cookie Crumble at The Korner House, Mumbai
As the only lavender-infused drink on this list, the latte is a creamy, rich, vegan almond and lavender blended latte topped with dairy free cream and lavender oatmeal cookie crumble. According to its creator Chef Vicky Ratnani, the reason behind its genesis is simple: Veganism is growing rapidly and people like to have nut milks. And so, the idea of doing an almond milk and lavender latte was not just au courant, but unique as well. We couldn’t agree more!

Japanese Lavender Cheesecake at Bodega Cantina-Y-Bar, Kolkata
So obsessed is this Park Street, Kolkata restobar with lavender that they’ve come up with a very unique dessert using the flower! The Japanese Lavender Cheesecake is created by ace Mumbai pastry chef Sanjana Patel and is made up of a deconstructed cheesecake that comes with lavender lemon gel and lavender flavoured ice-cream. The ode to lavender is thanks to the restobar’s Chef and Co-founder Urvika Kanoi​’s​ chef ​school address in London which had a beautiful garden on the opposite side which would bloom in summers.

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Halo Halo Sundae with Lavender Ice-cream at Shizusan, Mumbai
Shizusan—Mumbai’s newest Pan-Asian restaurant too seems to be enamoured by the lure of lavender. In the Halo Halo Sundae, the classic sundae from the Philippines sees the traditional purple ube yam ice-cream scoop being substituted by the floral hit of the lavender ice-cream that goes on to get combined with shaved ice, condensed milk and generous piles of sweet beans, jellies, and rice crisps in a glass. ‘nuff said! ​  

(A shorter, edited version of this piece was first published in the April, 2017 issue of The Week's Smart Life magazine)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Lavender and blueberry Viennese shortbread with rose petal panna cotta

By Raul Dias

Western Australia’s Swan Valley in the bucolic Margaret River region—a mere half hour’s drive from the urbs primus that is Perth—is one place that will be etched onto my foodie memory forever. For it was here, a few years ago, that I first encountered lavender in all its edible form and glory.
With everything from lavender scones slathered with butter and lavender-speckled clotted cream, to a restorative tepid lavender tea, the Lavender Bistro’s high tea service introduced me to the wonders of this fragrant flower. Once an indispensable part of the boudoirs and toilette routines of Victorian ladies, in the form of lavender-perfumed talcum powder, scented oils and other beautifying unguents, this member of the mint family is enjoying an outing like never before!
It was only late last year, when during the final course of a meal at the newly opened Australian fine dining restaurant Estella in Mumbai, did I revisit the floral brilliance of lavender. Probably paying homage to his stint in Australia, Chef Rohan D’Souza carefully crafts this lavender-redolent piece de resistance.
The lavender and blueberry Viennese shortbread with rose petal panna cotta is a simple construction of two lavender shortbread fingers sandwiching whipped cream and blueberry jam, and topped with more cream and jam, with a sprig of lavender and rosemary as the garnish. Accompanying this, is a delicate panna cotta that does the requisite ‘wobbly jig’ on the powdered sugar-dusted, ebony-hued plate.  

(This column first appeared in the 26th February 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/lavender-and-blueberry-viennese-shortbread-with-rose-petal-panna-cotta/article17361291.ece)

Purple Rain—Perfect Lavender Cocktails for Spring!

By Raul Dias

Paired with everything from the rather neutral vodka and gin to a more robustly flavoured red wine, and muddled with other fragrant botanicals like hibiscus and elderflower, the sweetly perfumed lavender blossom is enjoying a turn at several restaurants and bars across the country, making a lavender cocktail the perfect springtime tipple. We bring you a serving of a few such iterations that exude lavender with every sip!  

MON CHERI
Imbued with an experimental streak when it comes to his bar, Pranav Mody the restaurant’s manager and mixologist, sends off this rather exotic looking, deep purple-hued cocktail with a generous pour of house-infused lavender-hibiscus vodka, and vanilla, along with a splash of orange liqueur and citrus mix. Adorned with a marigold flower to offset the colour, the drink is the ultimate ode to flower power.
The Sassy Spoon (Nariman Point outlet), Mumbai. Rs600

LAVENDER ORCHID
As the signature cocktail of the award winning Mediterranean restaurant and bar, this lavender cocktail—that’s the creation of Olive’s bar manager R. Dhanendran—is the refreshing sum of its Grey Goose vodka, lychee, pomegranate and lavender parts. Perfect for spring, the cocktail sees fresh lychee and pomegranate muddled together and then shaken with vodka, house-made lavender syrup, fresh lime juice and ice cubes and served in a cocktail glass with an orchid as a garnish.
Olive Beach, Bengaluru. Rs650

LAVENDER DOLL
Even Mumbai’s newest Pan-Asian restaurant seems to be caught up in the lavender maelstrom. Not only is their lavender ice-cream the most in-demand dessert, they say, but another lavender-based creation is surging up the popularity charts as well. Imagined by beverage and cocktail developer Tanai Shirali, this cocktail is made with vodka, sparkling wine and lavender and wild flowers’ extract, with the lavender’s perfume lending a beautiful, sweet-scented complexity to this libation that’s stylishly served up in a champagne flute!   
Shizusan, Mumbai. Rs625 ​ 

15 BLOOMSBURY
Drawing inspiration from their bestselling Japanese-style deconstructed lavender cheesecake, this Park Street, Kolkata restobar has now come up with a liquid homage to the springtime blossom. A potent blend of homemade flower bitters, gin, tonic with a strong hit of lavender flowers​, this cocktail is named 15 Bloomsbury, in memory of the chef and co-founder Urvika Kanoi​’s​ chef ​school address in London, which had a beautiful lavender garden that would bloom in springtime.
Bodega Cantina-Y-Bar, Kolkata. Rs295

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FLORAL SANGRIA
Taking a rather bold detour from the de rigueur pairing of lavender with vodka or gin, Ema Pereira, head mixologist ‘consciously couples’ a deep garnet red wine with dried lavender blossoms for her floral version of the wine cocktail. Served up in a gin and tonic coupe, bits of muddled apple, a sprig of thyme, and fresh jasmine flowers top it off.
Theory, Mumbai. Rs550

GREEN TEA & LAVENDER MARTINI
A rather subtle mélange of decidedly Eurasian flavours, this martini is made using a special in-house green tea and lemongrass infusion, with thyme and lavender added to accentuate the herbaceous, floral notes. A splash of vodka (in lieu of gin) and lemon juice finishes it off. And just like its sangria counterpart, this martini is jazzed up with the Theory signature garnish of fresh jasmine buds and a few sprigs of thyme.
Theory, Mumbai. Rs860

(A shorter, edited version of this article appeared in the 25th February 2017 issue of the Mint Lounge newspaper, India http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/pkGcW8z5s4q0ZGThYCkXaJ/RoundUp-Lust-for-lavender.html)